Not Quite Gone
by Mrs.Sumpter
Summary: In a tragic accident, one of the bladebreakers dies. But one by one each remaindidng member gets a little visit in their dreams. And there's a reason behind the visits.
1. The Crash

Hello everyone! I must tell you this in one of my most angsty things yet! The first few chapters are EXTREAMLY angsty, but the story gradually turns into an adventure! So anyway, please enjoy and review at the end!

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::Grief, anger, guilt, loneliness. Experiencing so many emotions at one can really destroy a person spirit. But the Blade Breakers were always known for being strong. Every situation that had been thrown at them, good or bad, they met head on. But suddenly, and totally unexpected, they were forced to square off against there biggest challenge yet.::

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' _This is too hard_.' Tyson thought miserably to himself. Scratching out the answer he had just written down, he tossed his pencil back into his bag. Shuffling through the mass pile of algebra laid before him his pulled out a plain white and very thick envelope. The piece of mail that he had gotten just a few hours prior had been all he could think about while he was attempting to complete his high school math homework. Sitting down gingerly on his bed, Tyson slid five pages of folder paper out of the envelope. Upon the pages was a letter, written to him by one of his friends, Max Tate. He sorted through the pages, glancing briefly at the words written on them.

Max had written to his friends to let him know how he was doing. Max had been going through counseling for the past few weeks and he was feeling much better. But even this good news mad Tyson cry. It was the reason that Max had gone into counseling that upset him.

Sliding the letter back into the envelope, Tyson lifted his legs up onto the bed and laid his body down. Closing his eyes he thought back to a month ago when everything had been perfect.

……..

"Come on guys! It's starting to rain! Move it!" Rei yelled agitatedly from the door to the B.B.A. bus. Looking up he saw dark gray clouds moving in quickly, bringing roaring thunder and torrential rain with them. He blinked his warm gold/brown eyes as a big drop of water landed on his nose. Shaking his head in frustration he climbed up the steps, only to meet Kai who was sitting in the front seat with his feet up on the railing in front of him.

"Are they coming?" he asked, not even opening his eyes to look at Rei. Rei rolled his eyes and leaned over once more to take a glimpse of Tyson's dojo. He smiled a bit as Kenny ran out the front door, towards the bus, his laptop held over his head like an umbrella. Stepping to the side to let Kenny through Rei smiled at his tiny friend.

"Are they coming yet?" Rei asked anxiously, taking a seat in the row opposite Kai.

"I think I saw Hillary looking for her jacket and Tyson's just grabbing his bag." Kenny reported, taking his seat a few rows behind Rei.

"All right! Rain!" They all cringed as they herd Tyson loud voice call out from the dojo.

Tyson, clad in his usual attire, plus one blue jacket and minus one shoe, jumped from the porch to the bus, careful to jump in every puddle along the way. Climbing up the steps of the bus he smiled widely at everyone present.

"Have I ever mentioned I love rain?" he asked innocently, shaking his head wildly back and forth. Beads of water sprayed from his hair, completely soaking Kai and getting Rei a little wet. Looking down at Kais furious face, Tyson quickly decided that it'd be best to go get a seat.

-inside-

"Oh no…" Hillary moaned, slamming the door to the closet shut. Placing a hand on her forehead she glanced out the window. It had just begun to really pour, and lightning lit up the dark sky.

"What's all the 'oh no'-ing about?" Max asked as he entered the room, startling Hillary. She turned on her heel and watched as Max reached into the closet to retrieve his coat.

"Nothing, I just forgot my coat at my place." Hillary said, pointing over her shoulder at the thunderstorm that could be seen through the window. Max pulled out his coat and glanced out the window and then looked at the outfit Hillary was wearing.

"Hmm…you better take this." He held his jacket out to Hillary who eyed it cautiously.

"Are you sure? I mean wont you get cold?" She asked, rubbing her arm subconsciously. Max could see that Hillary was beginning to feel cold so he held the jacket out further.

"Its not a problem, really. I never get cold." He shrugged simply, as Hillary took the jacket from him. Sliding it on, she smiled gratefully at Max.

"Thanks a bunch, to tell you the truth, I'm freezing." She bowed her head in thanks. Both teens cringed as they herd Kais angry calls from the bus. "Come on, we better go, we don't want to get on sourpusses bad side." Hillary joked, pulling up the collar of the jacket higher. Both smiled and made 'Kai jokes' as they made their way outside and boarded the bus.

…..half and hour later…..

Hillary snatched a hold of the armrest and held onto it for dear life. Opening one clenched eye she dared to take a peak out the window. Much to her dismay she saw that they had once again swerved off the road. Shutting both her eyes again she started to panic slightly.

"Should we really be driving in this kind of weather?" She asked nervously as the bus pulled itself back onto the road.

The pouring rain was making the unpaved roads slippery and very dangerous to drive on. But for some reason the driver kept saying nothing was wrong, despite the fact that he had swerved off the road twice now, almost hitting a tree once.

Max placed a hand on her arm for reassurance.

"Its going to be ok, we're going to get there safe and sound." He answered calmly, trying his best to relax his terrified friend. Hillary nodded meekly, opening both her eyes this time. Max smiled at her and she tried to smile back.

'_Geez, she's cute even when she's flipping out…_' Max thought to himself as Hillary rubbed her hand across the window to remove the build up of condensation.

"So what is the matter exactly, do you not like the rain?" Max asked quietly when Hillary grimaced at the sound of the thunder rolling overhead. She shook her head and leaned closer to Max so no one else would hear.

"I don't like driving in the rain." She admitted, a small blush creeping up her cheeks. "It totally freaks me out. It just doesn't feel safe."

Max smiled sadly at her, rubbing her shoulder gently. "It's going to be alright, nothing going to happen to you." He reassured her, making her smiled a little.

"Thanks Maxie." She whispered, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth.

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But not everything went all right. And they didn't get there safe and sound.

The bus that the Blade Breakers had been traveling on was hit minutes later by a transport truck. The vehicle had rammed right into the left side of the bus, right where Hillary and Max were sitting. Hillary's body had taken the brunt of the impact, truly saving Max's life. They both had been thrown through the opposite side of the bus, landing in the field they were driving by. The bus had then proceeded to roll seven times and come to a stop a little less than 100 feet away.

When ambulances had arrived on the scene almost 15 minutes later, they found Tyson and Rei escaping from the crushed bus, with only a couple broken arms and some scratches. Tearing open the bus they had discovered Kenny laying in the back seats of the vehicle, hair matted with blood. Kai lay right beside an unconscious bus driver, leg broken and a deep gash placed along his cheek.

After a little bit of searching they had found Max, arm fractured and ribs cracked, kneeling in the field where he had been thrown. Beside him, not breathing, with no heartbeat, and still clutching onto the jacket Max had lent her, was Hillary's dead body.

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	2. Max's Sweet Dreams

Hi! Oh my freakin god, I got five reviews!!! That was the second most happiest day of my life! (Right behind when I met John Mayer and he sang to me)

It was so special because I not only got reviews from four nice people; I got a review form Penguin Pop her/his self! Penguin Pop, you are my all-time favorite author and I strive each and every chapter to be half as good as yours! When I opened your review I flipped and started crying! So pleeeeeeaaaase keep reviewing!!! And I dedicate this chapter to you!

Now I'm going to take the advise of another one of my reviewers and do a disclaimer this time, just to cover my ass and not get sued by anyone!

{::Disclaimer:: I do not own Beyblade, or dead people. So there. Go ahead and try to sue me now!!! MA HA!}

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Max sat up on his bed and looked out the window. The sky was black and dotted with little white stars. Max sniffed back tears as he remembered how Hillary had once told him that she loved watching the stars at night. He it his lip and slid under the covers, finding some refuge from the harsh reality of life.

Sleep was one of the only things that comforted him anymore. So closing his baby blue eyes he let his tired soul drift off into another night of odd dreams.

It was black, a black that seemed to have no end. Unable to see anything Max dropped to his knees with a thud and wrapped his arms around himself. Rocking back and forth he felt all the happy thoughts he had left slowly drifted off into the darkness. What he was left with was memories of the crash. That fateful day when he lost one of the best things in his life. Memories that haunted him, and reminded him off what life was missing. The one girl he had really gotten to know and like.

_All of a sudden the darkness was replaced by a new setting. Trees sprouted from the ground and grass grew under his knees. Lifting his face he looked up to see the sky, bright red and orange._

_' It must be sunset' Max thought to himself, tears coming to his eyes. The surroundings reminded him of the time he and Hillary had snuck off from training. They had been both tired of Kai yelling at them for not being able to do 50 pushups in a row, so they ran off, not stopping until they had reached a small forest to the west of town._

_Looking around, Max was almost sure that this was, indeed, the forest that they had taken refuge in. Yes, the sky looked just like it did now, and the tree's looked almost identical._

_"Exactly." A voice said happily from behind him, startling him from his thoughts. Turning his head around he squinted into the distance; trying to find the person the voice had belonged to. _

_If he hadn't known better he would have thought that it was…_

_"It is me Maxie." Slowly a teenage figure walked out from the bushes. The figure wore a white skirt and a pink shirt, had shoulder-length brown hair and mahogany eyes. _

_Max had never smiled so largely before in his life._

_The figure ran towards him, and as soon as he stood up, threw her arms around his neck. Max wrapped his own arms around her waist, tears of joy leaking from his eyes._

_"H-Hillary?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to be let down once more. The female figure squeezed him tighter and let out a small giggle._

_"Yeah Maxie?" She asked, tears streaming down her own face. Max's heart was so full of joy that he thought it was about to burst. He hugged her tighter as a slight breeze ruffled both of there hair. _

_Finally they released each other and the questions began._

_"What… I don't get it… Your dead, aren't you?" He stammered, his big blue eyes wide with shock and childish glee. Hillary smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear._

_"Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I'm gone." She said simply, smiling at her own clever, yet confusing statement._

_"So, so, what are you doing here? Do all dead people get to talk to people in their dreams?" He asked curiously, a huge grin spreading across his face._

_Hillary took his arm and led him down the well-worn path, towards the lake. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed._

_"Not exactly Max. But I'll talk to you tomorrow night about that. Right now I want to talk about you." She said quietly, her feet dragging slightly on the dirt path. Max looked down at her, a slight look of worry in his eyes. But as soon as he realized Hillary was right there, again, he smiled. _

_"What about me exactly? Nothing interesting has happened since… since you died and all." Max replied with a tone of regret. Hillary picked up on it quickly, and tried to explain herself._

_"Well, I know you've been in counseling for the past bit. I hope I didn't screw you up that bad." Hillary joked, trying to direct him away from the pain of guilt and grief. Max being so naturally happy took the excuse to avoid that hard subject._

_"No, I've just been a little, scratch that, a lot sad. I didn't want to go to the counseling but my parents said it was a good idea." Max reported, a slight sigh in his voice. Hillary grinned, knowing how much Max resented being sent to the councilor. He didn't like sharing his feelings with some stranger, especially the feelings about Hillary._

_Hillary actually knew a lot about Max ever since the crash. Being deceased, she had an unnatural power of being able to read minds. And she could watch her friends whenever she wanted, subconsciously guiding them to do the right thing. But she had been told she could actually talk to them in their dreams, and for a special reason. But Hillary didn't like thinking about it. She would get to it later._

_As the two teens neared the edge of the river, Hillary slowed down and they eventually stopped. Not wanting to look up into his eyes, Hilary looked down at her feet and nervously kicked at the ground._

_"I have to go now Max." She said sadly, bringing tears to Max's eyes. "But I'll be back tomorrow night when you go back to sleep."_

_Max wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and bit his lip._

_"Promise?" He asked, hoping with all his heart for the right answer. Hillary looked up and smiled._

_"Promise." She whispered, throwing her arms around his neck once more._

Max sat up in his bed quickly, his eyes snapping open. His head light and his heart full a small grin spread across his lips.

"Tomorrow it is then…"


	3. Visit from a little sister

Hello everyone! I have such awesome reviewers!!! Sorry that I haven't updated in a bit! So I'm going to update again tomorrow, just to make it up to you! But I have to get AT LEAST three reviews so SEND THEM IN!! Btw, if I seem a little hyper its because I'm eating these weird chocolate covered nut things! SOOOO GOOD! Anyway, I'll get to the story and don't forget to review! Our ongoing record of the most reviews is 5 so it would be awesome to break it, maybe get 6 this time… What do you think? Anyway, go read and then review!

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Dropping his beaten up backpack onto the floor of his apartments hallway, Kai growled in annoyance.

"Stupid neighborhood kids. Next time I catch them looking through my window I'll chop their little heads off." He mumbled to himself, storming down the hall and into the kitchen. As his feet slapped against the linoleum of the floor Kai pressed the flashing red button on his phone.

"You have …two… new messages. Please press one one to listen to your…two…new messages." The automatic voice said plainly, making Kai roll his eyes.

Pressing the '1' button twice he opened the fridge and grabbed a can of pop. Snapping the tab open he listened as some girl rambled on and on about the stuff he had missed at school. Rolling his eyes again his pressed another button, skipping the ongoing message.

"Hey Kai, just thought I'd give you an update. Max has gone into counseling so beware what you talk about with him…I hope you're doing ok…. Phone me back if you get a chance." Kai watched the phone as Reis voice spoke to him with a little bit of weariness. Kai shook his head and pressed the '' button, turning off the answering machine.

"Good, Max got help." Kai thought to himself, throwing the empty can into the garbage can that sat in the corner. Walking silently down the hall he made his way into his dark bedroom. Come to think of it, almost every room in Kais apartment was dark.

But that's what calmed him now. He had gone through a bad time after the crash, not trusting anyone and blaming the first person he saw for everything. But now, he had chilled a bit and was getting better. But he still didn't feel right. But who would, I mean it was like he had lost his little sister in the crash.

That's what Hillary had been to him, his little sister that he felt he needed to protect. And when he had failed her, he had felt so guilty that it had consumed him, making him turn on everyone else. But he had come to terms with the problem and was dealing with it by separating himself from everyone else.

Without even changing into pajama's Kai climbed into bed and instantly fell asleep.

_Kai was alone at the harbor, sitting on the cement wall, legs dangling over the side. A strong ocean wind whipped his hair around and stung his eyes a bit._

_The harbor had always been Kais favorite place to go. It was calm and the water was always so understanding. Kai felt like he could really feel at peace when near the ocean._

_So why was he there now?_

_Normally he had nightmares about haunted forests and the field that Hillary had died in. Why such a nice place now?_

_"Guess I'll wait and find out." Kai said to himself, watching as two fishermen brought their boat into the harbor._

_A few minutes of serene silence passed until Kai herd footsteps approaching from behind him. Deciding not to make any actions, and to just let the person pass he closed his eyes and let out a depressed sigh. But his keen ears didn't hear the person walk by him, whoever it was had taken a seat beside him on the harbor wall._

_Keeping calm he opened his eyes slowly and turned his head towards the stranger. Kai wasn't sure what to expect but of all things possible, a brown haired, familiar teen was the last thing he would have thought of._

_Jumping in his seat slightly, Kai stared in awe, his mind racing to figure out what was now going on._

_"I must be imagining things. Well of course I'm imagining things, this is one of my dreams. But what is she doing here?" He fought with himself in his head. The brunette girl, also known as the recently deceased Hillary, smiled cleverly and crossed her legs, looking out to the sea._

_"To answer your first question," Kais eyes grew wide as she began to talk in a happy and clam voice. "I chose the harbor because I knew you had a lot of things on your mind and you always seamed to be able to think better here." She folded her hands in her lap and continued to look out to the water while Kai stared at her in amazement. "And as for your second question, I'm here to talk to you." She said quietly, finally turning her head to look Kai in the eyes. She grinned mischievously and waited for some sort of recognition. Shaking his head slightly Kai wiped his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows._

_"So.. Uh.. You're here… you're dead right?" he stammered, as Hillary smiled widely. For the first time ever Kai was at a loss for words._

_"Yeah I'm dead. Shame isn't it? But when people die, they aren't gone. They're just somewhere else." She said wisely, leaning back on her elbows and letting the wind blow her hair around. She was starting to enjoy this making these guys confused. Hillary closed her eyes as she heard Kais jumbled thoughts buzzing through her own head, a million words a minute. Opening her eyes once more she placed a hand on her forehead and sighed._

_"Stop…thinking for a minute, you're screwing me up." She commanded, squinting slightly at the sun that had begun to rise over the horizon. Slowly the hundreds of questions stopped and Hillary was able to think straight._

_"How have you been? And be truthful. Brothers never lie to their sisters." She said seriously, turning to face Kai. "Or at least they shouldn't." She added with a smile._

_Kai didn't even bother to ask her how she knew that he thought of her as a sister, instead he sighed once more and closed his eyes in exhaustion._

_"It's been hard. For all of us." Kai answered quietly, "You left so quickly."_

_Hillary smiled sadly, pulling her knees up to her chest._

_"I know I did. And I didn't appreciate it either. You think you guys had it bad? I had the pain of watching you be miserable, and not being able to do anything to comfort you. I watched you all suffer and that's what hurt the most. Not being dead, but watching you guys be in pain." She whispered lightly, as tears began to rise in her eyes, blurring her vision. But she quickly blinked back the tears and put a smile on her face._

_"But lets not talk about that." She said happily, disguising the sorrow with cheerfulness. "Have you kept in contact with the others?" She asked, knowing full well that he hadn't. A look of shame came across his face, causing his bright eyes to dull. Hillary raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms._

_"Well you know what." She stated, a tone of authority in her voice. "I want you to call them tomorrow and tell them about this dream, see what they think. Alright?" Hillary asked, standing up and brushing her skirt off. Her mahogany eyes gleamed with unshed tears. Kai just nodded solemnly, not wanting to say goodbye again._

_"Don't worry," Hillary whispered kindly, reading his mind. "I'm coming back soon!"_


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